On 25 August 1939 Funk wrote a letter to Hitler
expressing his gratitude that he was able to participate in such
world-shaking events; that his plans for the "financing of the
war", for the control of wage and price conditions and for the
strengthening of the Reichsbank had been completed; and that he had
inconspicuously transferred into gold all foreign exchange resources
available to Germany. On 14 October 1939, after the war had begun, he
made a speech in which he stated that the economic and financial
departments of Germany working under the Four Year Plan had been
engaged in the secret economic preparation for war for over a year.

Funk participated in the economic planning which preceded the
attack on the U.S.S.R. His deputy held daily conferences with
Rosenberg on the economic problems which would arise in the
occupation of Soviet territory. Funk himself participated in planning
for the printing of ruble notes in Germany prior to the attack to
serve as occupation currency in the U.S.S.R. After the attack he made
a speech in which he described plans he had made for the economic
exploitation of the "vast territories of the Soviet Union"
which were to be used as a source of raw material for Europe.

Funk was not one of the leading figures in originating the Nazi
plans for aggressive war. His activity in the economic sphere was
under the supervision of Göring as Plenipotentiary General of
the Four Year Plan. He did, however, participate in the economic
preparation for certain of the aggressive wars, notably those against
Poland and the Soviet Union, but his guilt can be adequately dealt
with under Count Two of the Indictment.

War Crimes and Crimes against
Humanity

In his capacity as Under Secretary in the
Ministry of Propaganda and Vice-Chairman of the Reichs Chamber of
Culture, Funk had participated in the early Nazi program of economic
discrimination against the Jews. On 12 November 1938 after the
pogroms of November, he attended a meeting held under the
chairmanship of Göring to discuss the solution of the Jewish
problem and proposed a decree providing for the banning of Jews from
all business activities, which Göring issued the same day under
the authority of the Four Year Plan. Funk has testified that he was
shocked at the outbreaks of 10 November, but on 15 November he made a
speech describing these outbreaks as a "violent explosion of the
disgust of the German People, because of a criminal Jewish attack
against the German People", and saying that the elimination of
the Jews from economic life followed logically their elimination from
political life.

In 1942 Funk entered into an agreement with Himmler under which
the Reichsbank was to receive certain gold and jewels and currency
from the SS and instructed his subordinates, who were